Modern communications technology provides a number of different ways for people to communicate. One popular form of communication is instant messaging, which is a text-based form of communication. Users employ instant messaging clients, which communicate with each other via an instant messaging server. Typically, in order for people to communicate with each other using instant messaging, their instant messaging clients must use the same communication protocols.
Currently most instant messaging clients and servers operate using proprietary protocols. Proprietary protocols are those which operate according to specifications that are not freely available to the public. In contrast to proprietary protocols, open protocols are based on specifications which are freely available to the public. Instant messaging clients operating according to different proprietary protocols cannot directly communicate with each other.
A number of different solutions have been developed to overcome the problems of proprietary instant messaging protocols. For example, instant messaging clients which operate according to different proprietary protocols have been developed. Accordingly, a single instant messaging client can be used to communicate with a variety of different instant messaging clients which operate according to a variety of different proprietary protocols. However, the operators of the instant messaging servers, which operate according to proprietary protocols, can modify their protocols, thereby preventing the use of these multi-protocol instant messaging clients.
Another technique for communicating using instant messaging clients, which operate according to different protocols, is to use a gateway. A gateway is a hardware devices that translates between the different protocols. However, changes to either of the different protocols results in costly upgrades to the gateway. Additionally, the owners of the proprietary protocols may modify their protocols to prevent the use of gateways.
While instant messaging clients which operate according to open protocols have been developed, the ability to add new features is quite limited. Specifically, open protocols are typically developed by standards bodies in a manner which requires years of work before publication of the final specification for the protocol. Accordingly, changes to the open protocols can likewise require a long time before they are approved by the standards body. Additionally, a client operating using an open protocol cannot easily communicate with a client operating using a different open protocol, or even a proprietary protocol.
Although it is possible to add features to open protocols which are not covered by the final specification of an open protocol, the additional features would only be supported by clients designed to support the additional features, and would require either an instant messaging server which supports the additional features or a gateway that can translate the protocols of the additional features between the compatible instant messaging clients. Accordingly, every time a feature is added to an open protocol instant messaging client outside of the final specification, the instant messaging servers or gateway must be updated to support the new features, both of which can be quite costly.
Dispatch communications are voice communications that are similar to text-based instant messaging communications. Dispatch communications are typically provided in wireless communication networks, although they can be provided between a communication station supported by a wireless communication network and a communication station supported by a wired communication network. Like instant messaging, dispatch communications require communication devices to operate according to the same protocol or employ gateways. Similar to instant messaging, dispatch communication protocols can be either open or proprietary. The use of open or proprietary dispatch communication protocols have similar advantages and disadvantages to those discussed above in connection with instant messaging protocol.
In view of the above-identified and other deficiencies of conventional instant messaging or dispatch communication systems, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods that can support additional features in an open protocol instant messaging or dispatch communication system which does not require upgrades to the instant messaging or dispatch communication server, or require a gateway.